Steering wheel



E.A H. VINCENT STEERING WHEEL Filed Nov. 5. 1923 gnou/Lto@ www' 3511 ln, I Wt Patented Feb. 23, 1926i.

. UNITED STATES i 1,574.32@ PATENT oFFIcE.;

EDWARD H. VINCENT, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

STEERING- WHEEL.

Application led November 5,1923. Serial No. 672,880.

for automobiles, particularly to the general.

type illustrated in my prior Patent No. 1,459,040, dated June 19, 1923,which embodies a wheel head portion, and a rim and spider portionpivoted to the head portion, and its object is to provide a steeringwheel of -this character which shall beA ot great strength, which shallbe simplein construction, and wherein the horn button and a slidablecontact member` attached thereto shall be carried by the wheel headwhile a movable .spider is provided with an opening to give access tothis button.

This invention consists in a steering shaft of any desired character anda wheel head mounted thereon, a wheel spider mounted on the head, and apair of normally disengaged electrical contact members, at least one oflwhich is mounted in the wheel head.

It further consists in also mounting the second contact member on thewheel head and insulating it therefrom.

It also consists of the details of construction illustrated in theaccompanying drawing and `'particularly pointed `out in the claims.

In the drawing, Fig. l is a plan and Fig. 2is acentral vertical sectionon the line 2-2 of Fig. l, oa steering wheel embodying the presentinvention.

Similar reference'characters refer to like parts throughout the severalviews.

As this invention is coniined to electric contacts for the horn circuitof an automobile, the connection between the wheel head or hub 1 and thesteering shaft 2 is shown in its simplest form. The head has an arm 3carrying a pin 4 on which the spider 5 is pivoted. The rim of .thiswheel is omitted Y but may be suppliedfby those skilled in the art. Ihave shown a standard or tube 6 through which the shaft 2 extends and atits upper endis a cylindrical guard flange 7. 4

The head may be attached to the shaft by means of a key 8 and a nut 9.Attached to the lower side of the headv and extending into ythe guardflange 7 is a disk l0 of insulating material having a flange 11,integral therewith if desired. A metal ring 13 and a conductor Wire 14may be attached to each other and to this disk by means of a scr-ew l5.

Mounted in a small bore'l in the arm 3 of the head 1 and offset from theaxis of the shaft 2 is a spring 17 which presses up against a collar 18on the slidable contact stem 19 which is guided in proper holes ture 23which permits free operationof the horn button and may be madesuiiiciently large to give access to the nut 9` while the spider is inoperative position. i The spiderl may beheld in this position by a bolt24 which is forced into a tapering Vrecess 25 1n the head 1 bymeans oi aspring 26. A stem 27 extends from this` bolt through a guide opening inlthe bushing 28 to the knob 29. i

Itwillbe noticed that the spidercovers the head or hub 1 and thattheopening 23 is of sufficient size to give such clearance around thebutton 21 that the spider may be swung on the pin4 between operative andinoperative positions without aiifecting v or engaging this button. Iprefer to have this opening and the button above the wheel head o'tlisetfrom vthe shaft as shown in the drawing, but this may be changedby'tliose skilled in the art as may be desired. Thus the contact may beplaced adjacent the bottom of the wheel hub and at `an angle to theaxisnof the shaft, when the opening inthe spider would be in the form ota notch -`in the side wall of the central portion of the spider. i i

The horn button and the slidable contact,

connected thereto may be operated irrespective of the position of the.spider on the head, the opening in the spider permitting this when thespider is in operativel position and in partially tilted position. Whenthe spider is tilted back to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig.2, the button is entirely accessible.

ii o

It will be further noted .that the disk 13 is carried by the wheel headand rotates therewith. If the screws were omitted, the ring 13 couldbeheld stationary within the guard flange 7 and be independent of thewheel. Contact would be made withthestein 19 in the same manner asbefore. y

The details of construction and proportions ofthe parts may all bechanged without departingfro'mthe spirit of my invention as .set forthin the following` claims.

1. In combination, a 'steering shaft, a wheel head mounted thereon andhaving ar opening parallel to and offset from the axis yof said shaft,normally disengaged electrical contact elements, one of said elen'ientsbeing movable through the opening in the head, the other contact elementbeing stationary below and carried by the head and engageable by 'themovable element, and means above the head and `connected to the movableelement to operate the same. p

2. In n combination, fa steering shaft, a wheelheadmounted thereonandcomprising 'an' arm, and normally disengaged electrical Y contactelements, one of said contact elements 'being slidably mounted in andcarried by said arm and adapted to bey moved to engage the other contactelement which is normallystationary and carried by said 'wheelhead I '3,In combination, a steering shaft, a. 'wheel head' mounted thereon,electrical contact elements, 4one of said contact elements being movablyymou'ntedin and carried by saidwheel head and adapted to be manuallymoved to engage `the other contact element which is carried bv aninsulated lmember attached to said wheel head, andresil'ientm'eans'inounted in' said wheel head tohold the `c `mtact elements out ofengagement.

47. 'In combination, a rotatable steering shaft, Va wheel head mountedthereon yand adapted for rotation with sai-d shaft, normally disengagedelectrical contact elements, one of said Contact' elements consisting ofa movable stein and an operatingineinber carried b v said wheel head andoffs-'et from the avis of saidshaft, the other'contact consistinn' of ametal ring and an insulating ring, both rin-gs encompassing said shaftAand carried'by said wheel head, said stem adapted to he manually movedto engagesaid contact ring.

5. In combination, a rotatable steering shaft, a wheel head mountedthereon, movableel-ectrical contact carrie-d by said wheel head. and anelectrical Contact rigidly secured yto said "wheel head, said contactsvadapted to have electrical engagement.

"6. vIn combination, `a rotatablel steering prising an arm, a wheelspider adaptedto be movedv to operative or inoperative' positions onthewhe'elhuband having a portion adapted to cover the hub andthe arm, anopening in the spider portion which covers saidhun and -said arm, anelectrica-l contactV carried by said arm and extending into said :spider'opening when said spider is in operative position on the hub, theopening in saidspider'providing clearance with respect to said contactso that said spider may be moved from operative to inoperative posi!-comprising an arm, a wheel spider adapted to cover said hub and saidarm, an opening in theportion of the'spider which cove said arm,amovable-electrical contact carried by the arm and extending intosaid'opening inthe spider, and a'second electrical contact carried atythe lower surfaceof said wheel hub and adapted to engage the first butnormallyheld out of'engagement therewith. 8. 4In combination, a steeringshaft, a wheel head'mounted thereon andcompr-ising an arm integral:therewith, movablejcontact means mounted 'in said arm, stationarycontact means insulated from said wheel hea-d, AandV resilient f meansmounted in said arm and adapted' to hold saidmovablev contact means outof engagement with vsaid stationary contactinea-ns.v

.'9. In combination,` a vslia'ft'casing, asteern 'ing shaft,"awheelhe'a'd mounted thereon and removable"therefrom in onedirectiommovable contact means carried by said Wheel head, a nd normallystationarycontact means carried by "and removable from said. wheel head,'saidfirst and second mentioned contact means Vnormally disengaged butadapted to 'have relative engagement,l the removal 'of' said'stationaryv contact means 'from tsaid wheel head'being prevented in onedirection by said shaft casing and in the otherdirec- 'tion'by ksaidwheel headfuntil'fthe `latter is removed'froi'n 'said shaft.

10. Incoinbinat'ion, afst'e'ering-'shaf a wheellread comprisingan arm, amovable 'Contact member and a spring carried by said arm,`and stationaryelectrica-l contactnie'a'ns i A below said head and 'carried thereby,said movable 'Contact member adapted to be 'moved tov engage" saidstationary contact means, said' spring adapted to` vli'old"`s: ii'd mov-"'able" contact member' out of engagement with i said ystationary'contact means'.

kv11. In combination, a steering shaft, fa wheel head removably mountedthereon, and

y y l `electrical contact means removably carried shaft, a wheel hubmounted' thereon and comby'and belowsaid lieadwhereby said contactmeans' and `sja'ldhea'd may be unit-edly mountd 'on or :disniounted fromsaid' shaft' without requiring removal of said electrical con- 'tactmeans from said Wheel head.

l2. la combina-tion, a shaft casing, a steering shaft, a wheel headmounted thereon7 electrical contact means adjacent the lower portion orsaid head, electrical conducting means attached to said contact means,and a protective case resting upon said shaft casing independently ofsaid Wheel head, for Said contact means and said conducting means. l

13. In combination, a steering' shaft, a wheel head mountedth-ereon andremovable therefrom in one direction, electrical contact meansadjacentthe lower portion of said wheel head, one or more electricalconductors attached to said contact means, and a remove able protectivecover for said contact means and carried independently of said Wheelhead and encompassing said contact means and said conductor orconductors, the removal of said protective cover 1n the direction 1nwhich the Wheel head is removable being prevented by the latter until itis re-Y moved i'rom said shaft.

14. In combination, a rotatable steering shaft, a Wheel head mounted onand adapted to rotate said shaft and havin-g a longitudinal openingparallel to and oiiset from the axis of said shaft, a contact ringencompassing said shaft adjacent the lower portion of and carried bysaid head, a member slidable through said longitudinal opening in saidWheel head and adapted to engage said contact ring, and resilient meansmounted in said longitudinal opening in the wheel head to normally holdsaid slidable member from engagement with said contact rino'.

EDWARD H. viNoENT. l

